I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

Alfred poured Bruce a cup of strong tea and said, "So, have you thought of any new leads yet?"

Bruce downed half a cup of tea in one gulp, looked at the ceiling, and said, "I think I've found some clues. It's related to my great-great-grandfather, Alan Wayne."

“Alan Wayne…” Alfred murmured the name, sat down opposite Bruce, and asked, “It seems to be a very long story. May I hear it?”

“Of course, Alfred, you are the closest person to me,” Bruce said. “My great-great-grandfather, Alan Wayne, suffered from mental illness in his later years.”

"Mental instability?"

Alfred wondered, because in his opinion, both Bruce and his father Thomas Wayne were exceptionally determined.

In his subconscious, he believed that all members of the Wayne family should be like this.

It sounds unbelievable that the Wayne family members are mentally unstable.

"That's right, my great-great-grandfather lived in constant fear in his later years."

Bruce continued, "He kept saying that someone was hunting him down, and he was terrified of owls. In the end, he died from decades of torment by fear."

Upon hearing this, Alfred immediately grasped the key point: "Owls again? Could it be... that your great-great-grandfather was also hunted and persecuted by the Court of Owls?"

Bruce said, "That's very possible, and they seem to know a lot about the Wayne family."

Alfred asked, "Didn't Alan Wayne try to resist?"

Bruce shook his head: "I don't know about that. People back then, and even I before, all thought my great-great-grandfather had gone mad. Nobody believed the Court of Owls really existed."

Alfred glanced at the guys hibernating in the Batcave freezer on his phone monitor and shared his thoughts:

"But it turns out that Alan Wayne was right. The Court of Owls may have been monitoring the Wayne family's every move all along, to prevent Gotham from slipping out of their control. And your plan, along with the mayor and others, to reshape Gotham made them feel that the main players in the situation were out of their control."

“That’s right, so they’ve taken action, including me, Oswald, and all the business leaders and politicians who support us.”

Bruce said with some resentment, "It's a pity they failed. They didn't know that Gotham had a supermodel like Depp."

Alfred looked at Bruce, who was drinking tea after speaking, and smiled, "Young Master, your jealousy is practically overflowing from your teacup."

“That’s not the point, Alfred. The point is, where is their lair? I think I already know.”

----

Inside the Batcave, Dick, wearing his Robin armor, entered the cryogenic chamber where the Claws were frozen.

He walked past each of these men whose claw masks had been removed, and finally stopped in front of William Cobb.

Based on the connection of blood, Dick recognized at a glance that this guy might be the great-grandfather that the adults were talking about, the one who became Claw.

That's right, while Depp and Selena were chatting at the top of Wayne Tower.

Dick, that little rascal, secretly hid on the stairs and overheard everything.

So he already knew that one of the frozen claws in the bat cave belonged to his great-grandfather.

And that person seemed to be the one who tried to kidnap him that night.

Curiosity and concern for his father's whereabouts drove Dick to secretly come here.

Now, he finally saw what his great-grandfather looked like.

To be honest, this guy really does look four or five parts like his father.

After moving William Cobb out of the freezer, Dick casually picked up a freeze gun.

This was to prevent William Cobb from doing anything dangerous after the freeze was lifted.

As the temperature rose, William Cobb gradually regained consciousness.

He opened his eyes and saw Dick Grayson looking at him warily.

"A great opportunity!"

William Cobb, whose mind was not yet fully clear, immediately tried to get up and grab Dick.

However, unsurprisingly, Dick had already tied him up beforehand.

Of course, if William Cobb weren't still in a dazed state after emerging from hibernation, he could easily break free from this level of restraint with a little effort.

Seeing his unusual behavior, Dick didn't say a word and immediately used the freeze gun.

As the icy chill returned, William Cobb once again felt an overwhelming drowsiness.

He tried to fight the feeling, but it was no use.

Fifteen minutes later, he slowly woke up again, and this time he was much more obedient.

Dick said to the man in front of him who bore a striking resemblance to his father, "I'll ask you questions, and you answer them. Don't even think about doing anything unrealistic. This is my territory!"

William Cobb looked at Dick, who was small in stature but had the foresight of a little adult, and nodded helplessly, saying, "Okay, now you're in control, so whatever you say goes."

“Very well, then I’ll ask my first question.” Dick asked, “Are you really my great-grandfather?”

William Cobb nodded and said, “Of course, that’s without a doubt, but I’m surprised they’re willing to tell you the truth. I mean... those guys are really ruthless.”

"That's none of your business!" Dick snapped. "Now, the second question: my father... was he also taken away by you?"

“Your father?” William Cobb thought for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, “You mean John? Although this is not good news, I can only tell you that he was captured by us before you.”

Upon hearing this, Dick's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He asked, "You mean... my father also became a Claw?"

"Yes, otherwise why would we capture him? An excellent acrobat is the perfect candidate to train into Claw!"

William Cobb said calmly.

But Dick couldn't bear the truth. He cried out, "How could you do this to your own grandson? How could you do this to my father! You damned monster!"

Seeing this, William Cobb showed no remorse. He continued in his matter-of-fact tone, "Dick, what's wrong with becoming a Claw? You can gain superhuman strength, heal any injury rapidly, and never fear death again!"

"I just want my descendants to have these extraordinary powers, just like me. What's wrong with that?"

As he spoke, William Cobb was just about to use his warmed-up body to break free of the ropes.

Then I saw Dick wiping away his tears as he pulled out a freeze gun and gave himself a solid shot.

As he felt his body functions fall into a deep sleep once again, William Cobb couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"This damn kid, how can he be so cautious even on the verge of an emotional breakdown? For the first time, I feel that being too talented might not be a good thing for someone."

Dick wiped away tears with his left hand, revealing a chilling murderous intent in his right eye.

William Cobb immediately sensed it and felt an unprecedented sense of fear.

Even when he encountered Depp, he never felt this kind of fear.

The most direct point is that Depp never intended to kill him.

After all, he was Dick's great-grandfather, so Depp still showed some sympathy for him.

At that moment, William Cobb sensed the murderous intent emanating from Dick, an intent that seemed to want to destroy everything.

And the first thing Dick wants to destroy now is himself...

This old guy is directly related to Dick by blood.

"Let me explain, Dick!" William Cobb said frantically. "Although he's been turned into claws, John has no safety issues whatsoever. On the contrary, he'll gain near-immortality. Calm down!"

However, no matter how much William Cobb shouted, Dick showed no sign of calming down.

William Cobb now knew all too well just how terrifying his young progenitor's talent and killing instincts were.

However, as a veteran of a century, William Cobb was not without his backup plans.

Just now, he had secretly pressed the preheating function on the Claw Armor.

Although he was hit by the freeze gun again, this time he recovered much faster than before.

As Dick lifted the freezer again, William Cobb suddenly exerted all his muscles, and the ropes binding him snapped instantly.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Having broken free of his restraints, William Cobb kicked the freeze gun out of Dick's hand.

He then attacked Dick with his bare hands.

Dick's eyes now revealed a slight crimson hue, and he effortlessly dodged and countered William Cobb's relentless attacks.

Under this special state of murderous intent, Dick's various abilities seemed to have been enhanced.

However, young Dick's body was not yet fully developed, and he was ultimately far inferior to the Claw Warrior in terms of strength and endurance.

Before long, William Cobb had firmly gained the upper hand.

He punched Dick, sending him flying and crashing heavily onto the table.

Then, William Cobb casually broke off a piece of the stool leg, tore it diagonally, and turned it into a sharp wooden spike.

William Cobb changed his mind; he wasn't going to take Dick with him anymore.

He now sees Dick as a threat, a threat that must be eliminated as soon as possible.

So he took the wooden spike and went to Dick, who was curled up on the table, and raised the spike high.

Meanwhile, the crimson in Dick's eyes gradually faded, and as he slowly regained consciousness, he looked at the wooden spikes above his head and shouted, "Daddy Depp...save me!"

With a hint of reluctance on his face, William Cobb hurled the wooden spike he had raised high at Dick, saying, "He couldn't save you in time. I'm sorry, I have to kill you, Dick."

Just as the splinter was about to pierce Dick's skin, William Cobb's arm, which was holding the splinter, was suddenly broken.

Then, without warning, the broken arms and the wooden splinter they were holding appeared beside them.

At the same time, Depp appeared behind William Cobb, grabbed his shoulder, and slammed him to the ground.

"Why do you always have to stop me at the last minute?" William Cobb said helplessly, enduring the sharp pain in his arm.

Depp said with a mocking tone, "Is this what you call superhuman strength and immortality? You mean this kind of thing, where you have to rely on amber gold to keep yourself from turning to dust?"

Depp looked at the man beneath him who had given up struggling, squatted down, and put his hand into his mouth to probe.

Finally, they pried out a coin with an owl engraving from between his back teeth.

This is a coin made from amber gold that has been soaked in impure Dionysian factors.

Depp then casually tossed the coin to the ground and looked down at her, saying, "So now? Without all that amber gold, how much longer do you have to live?"

At this moment, William Cobb's eyes were filled with fear.